Infants and other incontinent individuals wear absorbent articles such as diapers to receive and contain urine and other body exudates. Pull-on absorbent articles, or pant-type absorbent articles, are those which are donned by inserting the wearer's legs into the leg openings and sliding the article up into position about the lower torso. Pant-type absorbent articles have become popular for use on children who are able to walk and often children who are toilet training, as well as for younger children who become more active in movement such that application of taped-type absorbent articles tends to be more difficult.
Many pant-type absorbent articles use elastic elements secured in an elastically contractible condition in the waist and/or leg openings. Typically, in order to insure full elastic fit about the leg and the waist such as is provided with durable undergarments, the leg openings and waist opening are encircled at least in part with elasticized elements positioned along the periphery of the respective opening.
Pant-type absorbent articles having a main body to cover the crotch region of the wearer and a separate elastic belt defining the waist opening and leg opening are known in the art, such as described in PCT Publication WO 2006/17718A. Such pant-type absorbent articles may be referred to as belt-type pants. Belt-type pants are advantageous in that they have good breathability around the elastic belt, and in that they may be manufactured economically. Belt-type pants may be removed of elasticity of the elastic belt where the elastic belt overlaps the absorbent core, for avoiding bunching up of the absorbent core. Such removal of elasticity may provide a gap between the area where the absorbent core overlaps and not. Such gap may interfere with bringing the absorbent core close to the wearer. Further, in that the gap obviates the existence of an absorbent core, this may negatively affect a garment like appearance.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need for a pant-type absorbent article having balanced performance such as fit, comfort during wear, prevention of sagging, and prevention of leakage, while also providing a garment like appearance. There is further a need for providing such an absorbent article in an economical manner.